LORDS OF THE EARTH CAMPAIGN 54

Søren Overgaard at Lycia

In actuality, there were two Skane fleets.  Bamsndvaerder’s was to monitor the high seas, raiding Daerond shipping, while Overgaard’s stormed ashore at Landegol, Hastaalm and Nivaan to raid and plunder.

The Skane, however, were not the only ones with plunder on their minds, and in early 2841 lookouts sighted sails on the horizon.  The Daeron fleet had sailed out to raid the north.  Unfortunately for the Daerons, they had neither the numbers nor the experience of the Skane sailors.  Their mere dozen warships were no match for any portion of the Skane fleet, much less its assembled might. 

The sea battle off the Daerond Coast was as brief as it was one-sided.  It was not, however, without conspicuous gallantry on the part of Delion Danaur, Lord of Lycia and commander of the Daeron fleet.  Seeing his fleet vastly outnumbered and the wind in the wrong quarter to allow him to flee, Danaur charged in, his ships grappling any vessel they could find and boarding them.  They sank nearly a dozen smaller Skane longships before being sunk themselves. Danaur went down with his ship.

All of Tirgonia’s nobles, knights and soldiers surged forth in a single riding.  Twenty-thousand strong, including three thousand knights and two thousand elite Tirgonian Longbowmen, they rode south, they raided the Iron Hills and then marched through Sothwall into lightly defended Nivaan.  (See The Iron Empire of Daerond, below.)

A series of fires sprang up in the scriptorium which held many of the state records, but these were quickly put out.  It was quickly discovered that someone had barred shut most of the doors to the place, threatening to cook to the scribes and librarians alive, but most escaped unharmed through a side door and quick

Galos the Wise, heir to the Iron Throne, left his command in Landegol and moved hurriedly to take command of the woefully small garrison of Nivaan.  He did not know where the Empress had gone, only that she left him in command of Nivaan. With just two thousand troops under his command, Galos did his best to reinforce the region’s defenses with breastworks, trenches and sorcery.

Delion Danaur and his dozen ships put out into the Narglaurith river and raided the Harkorian province of Himerium.  The many river defenses and castles prevented the raiders from wrecking the region, but many small villages were looted and docks were burned.  From there, Danaur raided the forests of Archaieon and the island of Naxarius before setting off north where he collided with two Skane fleets (See The Skane Jarldoms, above).

Theron Morbanes tied the thrice-bound knot of the Malbor dedicant into his sash, pulling robes tight about his person, before turning to face the select gathering in the small chamber. A distant cousin of the late, much-mourned Bishop Morbanes, Theron was a priest as well, and, like his kinsman before him, felt called to serve the great House of Aicherai in this time of war.

He stepped to the black obsidian altar and the exsanguinated sacrifice that awaited him there. Dipping his rod of governance deep into the blood basin, he stepped to the left and, with three short, sharp flicks of his wrist, spattered the crimson liquid onto a broad flagstone of white marble set into the floor.  It was the only element of white in that dusky chamber, bespotted now with the tell-tale patterns of a blood-reading, the omens clear to the trained eye of a priest.

Or rather:  usually clear. Usually indicative of Malbor’s will for his chosen people.

Theron studied the patterns intently, his brow furrowed.  Silence lengthened.  One advisor cleared his throat, and prompted quietly, “What is it you see, your Grace?”

It was a moment more before Theron answered.  Galos the Wise readied to march northwards, he knew, to the Tirgonian border; he himself had been appointed to govern Great Rift in the absence of Empress Melisandre, who was occupied elsewhere with a pressing task.  The omens should speak to these things: to hostile neighbors to north and south, or to the venturings of the Empress and her Consort, or perhaps even to the fate of the arriving allies Morbanes would greet later that week.

But none of these things were visible in the pattern of blood-truth upon the stone. Only unordered, random flecks greeted the priest’s eyes, a chaos that defied interpretation. Surely there was a message here to be discerned, but on this day, that discernment was beyond the priest.

He turned to the onlookers. “Malbor does not wish his intentions known at this time,” he said. “We’ll look again at the dark of the moon. Let us do a Great Sacrifice at that time – something more certain to draw divine attention, and a response to our inquiries.”

Heads nodded agreement. There were plenty of Harkorian and Tirgonian prisoners of war collected in the slave pits. They would make ready fodder for the 100 tortured deaths that constituted a Great Sacrifice, and still leave bodies enough for continued slave labor in the rebuilding of the realm.

Theron led the elite assemblage forth from the chamber. Preparations for war awaited, and there was no time to lose.

The army had arrived in Himerium just after the region was raided by Daeron pirates, but the army did not pause to offer succor to the people; their only mission was death, not life.  Despite the Narglaurith being swollen with the spring rains, Alexeos crossed the river into Landegol in the spring of 2842.  (See The Iron Empire of Daerond, above).

After the total victory in Landegol, as the troops were celebrating the abasement of their hated foe, ale and wine ran like the waters of the Narglaurith.  It was then that Alexeos struck.

Corash himself traveled to the Wilding Vale and, feeling that he didn’t have enough worthy enemies, offered to knock in the teeth of the local chieftains if they didn’t join his realm and immediately produce their treasuries for his personal inspection.  Only the presence of five thousand heavily-armed Edgemoor troopers kept Corash out of the dankest hold in the worst Wilding Vale dungeon.

Kron the Brilliant took Corash’s sons Hauge and Vaprak under his wing and allowed the young orcs to ride with him and his five hundred cavalry as he raided east over the prairies, looting Gwaelod Hen, Kemali, Lidalya, Averni, Merodaun, Ardast and the Blood Mire. Time spent at the knee of the great warrior proved its worth – both princes gained a deeper understanding of military tactics.

Lady Megeira raised three thousand centaur cavalry and acquired another three thousand minotaur infantry from Queen Rhea.  With this force she marched into the Cendarinne mountains and attacked the orcs there.  The orcs turned out a light force of perhaps three thousand and fought savagely in a series of small actions across the province.  The taurids were hampered by the mountainous terrain, particularly the cavalry, but Megeira’s good leadership, combined with her mastery of dangerous magics made all the difference in the months of running battles.  The orcs were driven out of their homes and forced to flee deep into the most inhospitable portions of the range.  Megeira and her troops then looted the few poor orcish villages and moved on.

Next she marched up to the orcish fortress-city of Waertag with the intentions of laying it under siege.  This soon proved to be wholly impracticable with the force at her disposal.  Not only did the city’s walls loom high over the taurids heads, but its impressive and foreboding fortress overawed any attempt to circumvallate the place.  Unable to do more and unwilling to suffer the taunts and catapults of the orcs, the Brythnians withdrew back to their homeland.

The new heir, Kore, traveled to the former Brythnian province of Lloricam to inveigle the centaur tribes into restoring their old oaths of allegiance.  Unfortunately, Kore died during a hunting accident in 2844.  The Lloricamites

Marvin himself ruled from the Great Delve.  He made a speech before the Moot extolling the virtues of his friend and lieutenant Leeland Brownbarley, currently governor of Artence, and at his urging the Moot elected Brownbarley to the position of Chancellor.  Personal tragedy struck the royal family in 2844 when Marvin’s beloved but curiously unnamed wife died of complications during childbirth.  The child also died. 

Bishop Monteverde governed the capital until his death in 2842.  He died at the age of thirty-seven choking on a chicken bone too quickly swallowed during yet another of the sumptuous feasts to which the bishop’s position had allowed him to grow accustomed.

Meanwhile, in far Brythnia, Kendall Lowtide had tired of sitting on his rump guarding taurids three times his size.  It was time to fight. No man can say precisely which route Lowtide and his elite halfling rangers took, nor by what strange means they slipped so thoroughly

Armand died of old age in 2845.  Though he had long since named his son Tancred as his heir, there were many who saw the Crown Prince as weak, and rebelled against his rule.  Lords Folcwine and Tristan were quite vocal in their objections, but neither man was well-liked by the army and both were soon arrested for their treason.  Nonetheless, the northern provinces of Derandime and Lilloger, never closely tied to the throne, declared their independence.

First he sent his son and heir Mordred to treat with the orcs.  This was never intended to be an honest parlay, but a mere delaying tactic.  Little matter, for the savage orcs of Dines tried to capture Mordred almost immediately.  Hurling curses over his shoulder, the prince rode for safety while his bodyguards were butchered by the orcs. 

As Artorius assembled first his own troops and then others at Armorica, the orcs were on the move.  Ten thousand strong, they marched slowly through Howel, Meliodas and Priamus, burning and looting along the way. In Meliodas, they not only looted the land but slew Sir Cathal, lord of that land.

Meanwhile, a great effort by the Lorraine, Llyran and Valesian navies had brought the armies of those three nations plus the Neldorean Elves together at Andred by the spring of 2843. They were joined by Bishop Constantikos of the Grail Primacy with a division of Church troops. More than forty thousand soldiers – one of the largest armies ever assembled in Theeurth – stood ready on the plains of Andred when the orcs arrived. 

They included ten thousand Lorrainers, three thousand human mercenaries hired by the Grail Primate, sixteen thousand Neldorean elves (half of whom were elite elven archers), five thousand elite Valesian hoplites, three thousand Llyran soldiers (as well as a dozen skyhips and skyskiffs) and two thousand paladins of the Grail.  And at the head of all was old king Artorius in his gleaming armor wielding The Red Mace

The battle was short and brutal and ended not all as the orcs had envisioned.  The soft and effete lowlanders they had envisioned were replaced by the reality of rank upon rank of implacable men and elves.  Within hours the orcs were routed, streaming north in ragged columns beset by elvish cavalry and Llyran skyships. Few indeed made it alive back to the deep woods of Dines.

At the same time, Lord Vaire traveled among the noble giantish families, preaching to them of the power and glory of the Lords of the Grail.  The giants were resistant to the new religion, hewing to their ancient traditions.  But a small number of younger giants heard the message with interest and declared their dedication to the Grail.

Prince Fealurë, Elevuil’s son and heir, ruled the Whisper Wood from Menelcandara for four years.  In 2845, he traveled to Brandian and sought the hand in marriage of the daughter of Brandian’s prince.  The lord of Brandian took a dim view of Fealurë’s over hasty wooing of his daughter, lecturing the prince that the daughter was his greatest treasure, and that no elf might have her hand who did not demonstrate his love for her with more time than a few mere seasons.

From there, Lord Taralom sailed south towards Luxur and beyond.

Queen Nereil made a public show of summoning up ten thousand elvish warriors, of closing off certain valleys and forests for “training” and making sure foreign sailors knew that certain roads and towns were off limits to them because of the army in training. Yet word of this ruse soon leaked out when a foppish courtier was overheard in a marketplace assuring a friend that he need not worry about being drafted into service since no actual soldiers were being trained.

Queen Nereil

Ava and Candos, both sorcerers, summoned to them spirits of earth and water to help renew the land of Querenia. The spirits channeled water into fallow meadows and tilled earth in the fields, enriching the land for the rule of man.  The queen then traveled to South Akasia and tried her hand at diplomacy.  Unfortunately, she died on a winter evening in 2844.  Her death derailed the negotiations, and South Akasia remained a mere ally.

Prince Candos had been concentrating (without luck) on raising a family when his sister died, leaving him as the Exarch.  The transition from brother to sister was smooth, and all the lords of the land came to swear fealty to Candos, son of Bleobaris.

Lord Bradley governed in Laedrus, and proved to be an adequate, if uninspired, administrator. Like his two sovereigns, Bradley is a wizard, and summoned a horde of ghoskeen, dust-devil like creatures from another dimension, to terrace the hills and smooth the roads of the Akasian Hills.

Grand Master Lactantius ruled the order from the Akasian Hills while Master Claudius traveled to war-ravaged Adoria to speak with local noblemen and generally fly the flag of the Order.  Unfortunately, the slightly oafish Claudius chose to speak publicly of the confidence in the Order held by the gods themselves just as a terrible blight spread across the fertile fields of Adoria, withering summer crops where they stood.  Superstitious peasants hounded the obviously guilty Claudius back to his Order’s chapterhouse where he was rescued by his men.

 Master Osullia, with the five thousand newly-raised troops, marched to Lenicum and after taking command of the Order’s large garrison, stood watch on the Worldspine approaches.

In 2843, feudal lords loyal Ascarlon ambushed and fought an Aelissian army in Napoca (See Aelissia, above).

Lords Garal of the Yellow Sails and Uliagas of Ios traveled to the coastal provinces of the Sinking Land and Vartalan.  In each, they convinced the chieftains of those provinces to allow Ascar control of their trade, and Ascar trade through their lands.  This allowed an extension of Ascar trade all the way to the Great Kingdom of Annvar.

Finally, the recultivation of Orodea continued at a slow pace.  

The Dwarven/Church army continued north to the region of Torokon and easily bested the local militias.  Then, these “sons of light” began to brutally slaughter every last orc in Torokon.  Began, but did not finish.  For Jortak Bloodhelm came rushing to the defense of the local hobgoblins at the head of thirteen thousand heavily-armed orcs, goblins and ogres. 

In many ways the Grail allies held the advantages, for the had many elite troops and more mounted troops than their foes.  Both sides had brilliant commanders and excellent lieutenants.  But the Grail troops were spread out, rounding up their victims, while the orcs came on in a single, steady wave of fury and

The Imperial Flag

He crossed the Esharias river at Lascuta and marched into Lederata As his army marched past Mount Cornus, most of his troopers took with them pieces of pumice and obsidian as souvenirs of their march.  Within months, Maugroth was master of this northeastern Conorrian province and had set a ring around the city of Colanum.  The city was ill-prepared for a siege and capitulated in the Spring of 2843.  The Emperor then set up an elaborate and deadly defense facing south into Ganthus Longa.  As he expected, the Conorrian Emperor soon marched up the road to meet him. (See The Battle of Lederata, below).

First Councillor Laskal sent colonists into the forests of Enkkia, while continuing to devote men and materials to the cultivation of the forests of Marvald.

First Councillor Laskal ruled the land from Varthane while Councillor Gudge governed the capital city in the name of the Council. Gudge spent most of his time expanding his own influence and those of his clients.

Councillor Maras governed the eastern city of Coinde, and expanded trade with the elves of Meledrian and the seafarers of Nikitya.

King Elorian Mistmantle

The King of the Wood himself commanded the remaining half of the army at Ennilas. For most of his subjects, however, there was no war.  Days flowed by as they always had in the timeless halls of Ennilas and in countless woodland dells and feast-halls.

Lord Haladan, the king’s kinsman and trusted envoy, traveled to the sun-dappled woods of Bregil and there convinced the prince of those woods, a great warrior and general, to take up arms and join his fight against the rebels in the east and the monsters in the west.

King Eldareth Hammerhand

The Circle of Dusk continued to invoke the powers of the Dark Court on behalf of Meledrian.  Dark flowers bloomed across the land as the duskbread tree took root in the eastern forests.  It’s soft, warm fruits contain both nourishment and a mild narcotic and soon became a delicacy throughout the realm.

In the east, Prince Namardil governed the capital in his father’s name.  He tore down the walls of the capital and founded a new neighborhood on a nearby hill formerly called Dol Enduilas, but now renamed Ancargul. He continued work on the great Cathedral of the Final Dissolution and patronized the founding of a school of gladiatorial combat.

After transferring command of much of the Meledrian army to his king, Lord Aeliniel then took sail eastward down the Wolf river to points unknown.

Lord Cerelindas, governor of the newly-established port town of Narbyndahl ruled that city as his own private fiefdom, patronizing certain merchants and terrorizing others.  He and his sons devoted most of their time to the pursuit of manticore hunting, often using captive humans for bait in their dangerous game.

The old Emperor had two other daughters, and Saxonius was quick to reward his closest supporters with marriage into the royal family.  General Kaius, when a mere subaltern in the Legio V Ursus, had saved Saxonius’s life at the battle of Modynus.  He was now elevated to the purple and given the hand of princess Caliope in marriage.

Saromanius, the consul whose early support had given

Thandor, god of the air

The Great Church hired mercenary troops to serve in Lorraine and Dhûnazhar.  It hired mercenary leaders to serve in Conorria and the Primacy itself.

Patriarch Calidonus returned to Conorr, where he exacted a tithe from the halflings of Thariyya.  He attempted to do the same from the men of Tirgonia, but that distant land refused to hear the call.

Prince Tonali rode with dwarven lord Fundin at the head of nine thousand Grail troops as they raided the orcish lands north of the Worldspine Mountains.  He and all his men were killed there. (See, The Worldspine Orcs, above).

Bishop Telerus traveled from Neldorea to Valesia, where he established an abbey in Phalces and a church in Maelon. Bishop Tantalus, also in Valesia, established a church in Carres.

King Valand named his son Thorin as his heir, and Thorin’s twin sister Thorinna as a Princess of the realm. Then he marched south into Phaedon with his main force, four thousand Dhûnazhar King’s Elite, the most heavily armored warriors ever to struggle under the weight of steel. There, in addition to watching the borders, he trained several hundred ordinary dwarf warriors to the exacting standards of the King’s Elite.

The Banner of Pelendur

The Shield of Pelendur

Lord Varthane died in 2843 and his sons immediately repudiated the alliance (though they kept the troops.)  They sent word to Eidolon that Pelendur’s armies might cross their lands, but that the king could expect no troops or tribute.

Prince Ulfast, brorther of Gregor and heir to the throne, dropped dead one winter morning in 2842 at the age of fifty-seven.  His doctors believe his heart simply gave out.

Sir Illidor traveled to the distant western city of Magrod, a journey of nearly two years away over dense forests and hills, and laid claim to the city of Grail-worshiping hobgoblins on behalf of the kingdom. The locals laughed and shrugged and looked nervously towards the hobgoblin army encamped across the river in Colanum.

Lady Chanrey traveled nearly as far, to the forest-realm of Iaurinum, where she arranged for King Gregor to marry the daughter of the local chieftain.  In exchange, the woodmen of Iaurinum permitted Pelendur armies and merchants to traverse their lands.

-Anonymous Elegy to the Reader
Hypnerotomachia Poliphili
“The Rule of Four”

by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

With this expanded fleet, Constans Marova transported not only his own division of three thousand men, but the entire Neldorean army (albeit in multiple trips) to the island kingdom of Lorraine to aid in the international effort to overwhelm the orcs of Dines (See Lorraine, above).

Magister Blaise traveled to the forests of Halianis and from a makeshift encampment amidst the ruins of Jarlhaven, he negotiated a tribute from the poor Ianthan woodsmen.

Meanwhile, Bishop Ayld returned to Tarrentica, where he guarded the island’s shores until his death in 2843.

On the gentle Llyran Republic home island there is a rivalry between the Order of Illumination and the Order of Narses on whose agents will discover and control the artifact known as  “the Purple Tome”. The newssheets are filled with the story that missing senator Dietr Laroved was searching in the ruins of Jarlhaven for this very relic when he so mysteriously disappeared.

An investigation has begun by the son of Senator Laroved, the new Magister of

Queen Rhia and her cousin Yvonne Hawkwing traveled to the southern forests of Ahristhon and convinced the Landress, Suzanne, to pay tribute directly to the Matriarchy’s coffers. Yvonne stayed on in Ahristhon to hunt for signs of cultic activity while the queen returned to the capital.  Yvonne Hawkwing, hero of the Matriarchy, died in Ahristhon in 2845 at the age of fifty-eight.

Once in Sedeskan, Queen Rhia became pregnant within a month and gave birth to a beautiful baby daughter near the end of 2845.

The queen’s lieutenants Mira Lyxnpaw and Julia Lark administered the realm from

Lady Miranda Foxglove took sail across the Whale Road to the elves of Finnabar.  Though she lived among them for four years, they showed no interest in joining a human nation.

Landress Lucille of Haalthor, a stern and driven woman, marched into Veij with a thousand Haalthor rangers and burned out a temple of Andobulos and the attendant cultic lodge of the Fleshweavers.  A dozen cult members were hung by the roadside.  Lucille and her harriers then marched into Madukkan and repeated the process.  They then searched for more cults in Mahaaran, but finding none, rested at last.

Sultan Shazanon, though young, acted swiftly to solidify his hold on power.  He married his sister Zobeide to Abu Bahar, Lord of Gon Bahar and named his new brother-in-law a Prince.  He also elevated his own full brother Schariar to the position of Prince. 

Then he sent Lords Bajid and Nooldor to the forests of Husen to arrange a marriage between himself and the daughter of the lord of Husen as part of a diplomatic effort that resulted in Husen agreeing to pay the Sultan taxes and the beginnings of true agriculture in the region.  Lord Bajid died of a heart ailment in 2842, but Lord Nooldor concluded the treaty to everyone’s satisfaction.

Once installed in the palace, the new sultana gave birth to a son in 2845.

Shazanon also ordered the expansion of the great port at Agazier, although the expected trade with the Conorrian Empire still did not come in.

Finally, newly-created prince Abu Bahar of Gon Bahar traveled to the elvish forest of Damo and there convinced the elves to completely submit to the sultan at Mar Awas.

Feeling that the lowland government had nothing to offer them, the tribes of Dua’lim let their feudal oaths to Mar Awas lapse.

Prince Tempus, the Primarch’s brother, traveled to Thymene to improve relations with that province.  He died in 2842 when he struck his head during a wrestling competition.  Though he lingered for days, his death could not be stopped.  Despite, or perhaps because of his death, the clan leaders of Thymene agreed to allow Centauris to control the trade in Thymene cedars and firs.

Lords Dracon and Malishas both died in 2842 during an epidemic which killed hundreds in Centauris. Before he

Since the sathla continued to pay their tribute to the pirates, the pirates returned their prisoner Admiral Sesthan from his captivity in the western isles.

Sorcerers summoned spirits of the earth and air to improve the land in Badar and Habu, while priests went among the Grail worshipers of Egu and Gatz.  They made some headway in converting the men of Gatz, but the men of Egu held firm to their faith in the Lords of the Grail.

Speaker Gozbul set out along the south bank of the Artaxes to treat with the sathla of Zorches.  His stay was so short that the annoyed natives cancelled even the Luxurite claim on their lands.  Gozbul then obliviously crossed the Artaxes and claimed Lerope for his General.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the Luxurites, the lizard-men of Drormt were streaming north in great numbers.  (See The Steaming Kingdom of Drormt, below).

The Iron Scale Temple of Habu,
before its destruction

When the Edict was read, a young sathla priest approached and asked the Arch Priest why the Holy See should bother to convert sauruses, humans and other non-sathla.  Pysus praised the priest for his temerity and declared a great feast for the daring young priest.  The finest wines and meats were served.  At the end of the feast, Pysus had several burly acolytes seize the priest and hurl him into Merwal’s deepest dungeon, where he was cold and hungry for weeks. Then the priest was released and brought before Pysus.

Meanwhile, Prince Vlaasthess traveled to Ursurrnam, where he arranged a marriage between the Sauressh and the daughter of the chieftain.  The chieftain agreed to pay tribute to the Serpentine.  Vlaasthess died of heat stroke after swallowing a large rat in Ursurrnam in 2843.

Lord Markessh sailed out to meet the pirate fleet and delivered the agreed-upon ransom for the Serpentine’s safety.  He then traveled inland to Vaaltoth, where he browbeat the local lord, aged Tailheresh, into naming Sishtreth II as his heir.  Tailheresh conveniently died shortly thereafter, leaving his realm in the hands of the Sauressh.

King Mogrihan named his younger brother Azek to be his heir and successor.  Mogrihan ruled Thariyya from Uls Fakhar and fathered a daughter in 2842.

Warlike preparations continued elsewhere as well.  Prince Zarahan commanded the defenses of Uls Fakhar while Admiral Beneasis Al-Oghram patroled the seas on behalf of the Red Pact of Vales.

Lord Relequa traveled to Hassar and welcomed the former conquest as a full ally of the Thariyyan halflings.

An attempt was made on Tarl’s life in 2843 which resulted in the poisoning of his personal servant. 

In 2844, Tarl named his second son, Korthos, a prince of the Airnim.

The Warlocks built three thousand new troops at Dammarask and spent several months stationing the armies and garrisons of the realm.  The walls of Nuradeem and of the Fortress of the Abyss at Agharra were both strengthened.

In 2841, the Emperor named Elijah Cuu as his successor and heir in a ceremony at Agharra.  He then rode forth at the head of five thousand troops to conquer the plains of Ninur and bring back their scattered tribes in chains.  It made little difference to Jozan North that the Ninurites were co-religionists.  They were untapped labor, and that was all that mattered to Accolon. The Ninurites were led back to Dammarsk in chains and put to work in the city.

Meanwhile, Elijah Cuu ruled Accolon in the Emperor’s name. His wife gave birth to a single son in 2842, but died in childbirth trying to bear him a second son in 2843.

Ezekiel the Cipher traveled from Nuradeem to Dursarc on the Mulgaunt and claimed the steppes for Accolon. Khatib the Conjurer tried to hire the Company of the Silver Axe but was outbid by another employer.

Bishop Caine continued to govern the city of Agharra in his efficient manner.

Bishop Serakin traveled from Nisvet to Balbane, where he canonized a monastery in the desert above the Road of Ashes. He died there in 2844 and was buried in its crypts.

Bishop Malkus preached to the forest tribes from the monastery in Arbath.

Little was heard of the other bishops or of Gezz Half-Shadow, who remained sequestered in Dammarask.

Queen Madariel

Queen Madariel remained in Nastaldo, searching for…something. Prince Alitcean coursed across Windan, seeking out more of the deadly shadows, without success.

Vaeril Fallingwater arrived in Laikwalambe to aid Lord Ebabarear in negotiations with the local elves.  They were astonished to be in direct competition with representatives of the Sengkarian crown, who were also bidding for Laikwalambe. But the Maradorians were more persuasive

Alitcean Searider

Primitive they might be, but the sauruses were fast and coordinated.  Tlazolteotl commanded the first column, consisting of two thousand saurek elite warriors.  His queen, Huitcozetl commanded the second column, consisting of three thousand light infantry, while his relatively incompetent cousin Gu’lomp had command of another three thousand light infantry in the third column. 

The combined force marched through Erlet and into Itura and then Egu, where they quickly subdued the human tribes. Then Tlazolteotl led his saureks across the Artaxes and into Keferis, while Huitcozetl and Gu’lomp marched into Habu in Cleon 2842.

Two months later, Luxurite leader Speaker Ydrik marched into Habu with twelve hundred infantry.  Facing him were five thousand saurus light infantry.  Without a second thought, Ydrik moved his men in to attack. 

The Battle of Habu

Although Huitcozetl had a great advantage in numbers in mobility, she did have some serious problems.  The distance from Breeka had stretched her supply lines almost to the breaking point, her troops were scattered across the region as they prepared to flood Habu’s crops, and her sub-commander was a high-bred ninny without the most rudimentary concepts of command. Ydrik, too, faced a serious difficulty besides overwhelming numbers – he had to cross the Lethes river in small boats to enter Habu and could only get a few of his sathla warriors ashore on each trip.  In the end, it was Huitcozetl’s massive numerical advantage that won her the day, even against disciplined sathla warriors.  The sauruses stormed the riverfront camp, sinking boats and overwhelming the sathla.  Ydrik was killed with his army.  The sauruses went on to complete their scorched-earth ruin of Habu’s fields and the destruction of the brand spankin’ new Iron Scale Temple.

When his warriors were all sober again, Askaldor announced a great adventure: the subjugation of the stiff-necked sathla of Durudin and Ser Medhele.  His predecessors had conquered the great city and its surrounding fields a century ago, but still the worthless sathla refused to acknowledge his overlordship!  The large force required to garrison the region had drained Sendahlese coffers for three generations and Askaldor had had more than enough!

With four thousand kanka riders, Askaldor and most of

He ordered his shaman, the man now called Feardancer Nightwing, to gather his dispersed army to Awayal. When this was done in the summer of 2842, the army numbered fifteen thousand mostly elite troops, including thousands of the fearsome leatherwings

In his fifty-third year, the Emperor fathered another son, but the following year his queen died in childbirth, and her child, a daughter, died with her.

After summoning the army, Nightwing governed the capital in the name of his Emperor.  A tall, narrow-eyed man of an unknown tribe,

Banner of Khor-Naland

Lord Thulnor traveled north to the hills of Gamis and arranged a marriage between a stout-hearted matron of that realm and the bachelor-heir Belak Shieldbreaker.  Their marriage was celebrated in fine style at the Brass Tower and her father granted the dwarves of Aurdrukar the right to cross his territory.

Adventurous Prince Bain rode south into Unuruko on his stout warhorse and there encountered a huge troll that had been plaguing travelers in the region for many years.  Through cunning and bravery, Bain slew the troll and brought back its ancient hoard of plunder.

Another thousand elvish knights joined the Imperial bodyguard in Sengkar, now swelled to more than seven thousand elite cavaliers. In Vanua, Prince Namaril drilled with the ten thousand elves of the mobile army.

Princess Gahaliel traveled to the forests of Laikwalambe to negotiate with the green elves there, only to find herself in direct competition with two ambassadors from Marador, including Vaeril Fallingwater, her distant kinswoman.  The Maradorians proved more convincing and the green elves swore allegiance to Marador.

In Ozhayar, Lord Talan of Mita continued to negotiate for Sengkar.  But Talan is a warrior and not a diplomat.  His brusque manner and preemptive demands continue to stall the negotiations.

Lords Nachin and Batu continued their opulent and increasingly autocratic reigns over the cities of Khulank and Mindarie, respectively. Piccarome turned a blind eye to the depradations of his lieutenants despite the continued complaints of his noblemen.

Sultan Khalood ruled from Muddakir and gathered all the nation’s military forces under his command.  There had been enough fighting and rebellion to last the young sultan a lifetime.

Lord Bharjas traveled to the

Meanwhile, Lord Feantë put to sea with forty swift swanwing ships to guard against raids on the Gates of Arthys.

It was not without some sense of history, then, that the now-universally recognized monarch founded a new city in the rich fields of Shoggen and named it after himself.  He laid out the perimeter of the city’s precincts and where certain important buildings should lie with lines of chalk.  Thus was born Valoss City.

Meanwhile, Valoss’s son and heir Irithul traveled to the jungles of Kim Taba with Lord Deron as an aide.  The two met with several jungle chieftains in an attempt to forge a landward path between Ukanve and its colony at Ayma Vas. Negotiations were stalled by the lack of interest of the Kim Tabans until the sudden death

There was immediate trouble. For months there had been dark omens.  A flock of black birds flew backwards over Feroe in the spring.  Astrological savants predicted a grave alignment in the house of Nivraan.  A blind boy in Nimaht spoke in what three magi swore was authentic Iridian, prophesying doom if Nivraan’s heir and brother Nivarnaan were allowed to take the throne.

Thus it was that when the word of Nivraan’s death reached the ears of Lord Uruk, governor of the northern city of Nimaht, he rose in rebellion against the heir.  The forceful Uruk spoke out in large rallies about the weak spirit and foolish excesses of Nivarnaan, and these sentiments found great support among the nomadic tribesmen living in the northern and eastern plains.  One by one, the provinces of Afarees, Bolqu’an, Delkyn, Ghamzen, Jahander, Jarfad, Javneh, Omeen, Shavelek, Tahmeb, Tirnad and Zarotsht declared their independence.

In the absence of a powerful army (Uruk’s army was a thousand men strong; Nivarnaan’s was twenty times that size), Nivarnaan rode swiftly through the heartland to Chamir, where he immediately began collecting support among the nobles.  After a private meeting in the crypts below the city, Lord Yulleraan switched allegiances from Nivarnaan to Uruk, as did most of the army.  Lord Jhamaravan remained loyal to Nivarnaan and tried to rally the Imperial Guard to his sovereign’s side; both were arrested and executed.

After the secret investiture ceremony, attended only by his high priest, Uruk assumed the mantle of the God-Emperor, suddenly displaying impressive sorcerous power.

His old friend Sioun took command of the army and traveled to Razir, where he carefully watched the deserts for the approach of the Airnim Horde. He was joined by emirs Hahdem al Carrez and Gersek al Razir.  Hahdem died in 2844, and was succeeded by his son.

After his investiture, Prince Imad was only rarely seen by

Lord Morozlo traveled to the rainy upland forests of Pyiukta and negotiated tribute from the savage chieftains of that realm in exchange for the hand in marriage of Irina, the king’s eighteen year old daughter.

Ilya, Warlord of Chakkikta, surveyed his lands and spoke with many travelers and wise men, learning all he could.

Solovey, Warlord of Syikit, snuck across the wastes of Achaku to raid the dwarven hills of Ippikiki with six hundred woodsmen and rangers.  The dwarven villages were protected by several small towers and redoubts, but Solovey’s men were both sudden and sly and managed to burn and loot much of the dwarves supply of grain, mead and cattle.

Emperor Vataun swiftly returned to the capital and settled in to deal with the fraud and corruption that had gripped the government during his absence. He invested heavily in the training of scribes and the building of post inns and created several important new government ministries.  He also named Prince Avedis as his heir and successor.  Vataun’s wife gave birth to a son in 2842 and to two daughters in 2844.

Avedis, meanwhile, traveled to Tetomo to try to bring order to the northern provinces.  Sadly, the new heir died in Tetomo of sanguinary fever at the age of fifty-four.

Voidan gathered eight thousand troops in Ambalas and Orbelain and marched them to Nisvet to crush the revolt and place the land of Nisvet firmly in the hands of Kerendis forever. The halflings of Nisvet met the royal army with a determined but ultimately hopeless force.  In eight weeks of fighting, they were thoroughly beaten.

There was no mercy shown to the survivors.  Voidan had dark plans for the turncoats and allowed none to survive their perfidy.  Their fate would be an example to any that harbored ideas of rebellion. Once subdued, the halflings were herded into death camps and exterminated, until Nisvet became a barren wilderness. During this orgy of violence in the name of the Dark Goddess, Voidan became gravely ill and died in 2842 (ironically, his death was probably from a disease caught during a visit to the horribly overcrowded camps). His lieutenant Karlos continued his work in Nisvet.

Appalled and outraged by the slaughter of their relatives, the halflings of Anshuyo rose in immediate revolt.  But spies sent by the king were prepared for just this eventuality.  Within a week, long before the Anshuyites could organize, a dozen of their leaders were captured and publicly executed.  The rebellion died before it was born.  Turlin Strongknot, feudal lord of Anshuyo, sent hasty reassurances of his loyalty to the king.

After delivering troops to guard Methedras, Lord Sembis governed in the capital.  Sembis

King Marako died of sanguinary fever in 2845 after only three years on the throne, and was succeeded by his much younger brother, Jorald.

Mindful of the great numbers of sathla beyond the Madwana river, the elves erected fortified redoubts along the upper river in Arumbom.

Lord Juelans returned to Suwelho, where he governed the city in the name of the king.  Juelans spent most of his time hunting and hawking, but did attend to his duties at least occasionally.

Rumors came to his ears of an unknown race.  Several examples of the burly, vaguely elvish race called men came to Fikosha, supposedly from beyond the great northern sea, and with the assistance of translation magic, asked many questions about the sathla that used to live there.  They then departed again, this time into the west.